The road less traveled: Group goes on "walk with a doc"

Sunday

Dec 16, 2012 at 12:01 AM

FALL RIVER — Norma Nicoletti will turn 86 years old in January, but when the Fall River resident saw a notice in the newspaper that her doctor would be leading a walk through the Copicut Woods, she was struck by "the urge" to do it.

NATALIE SHERMAN

FALL RIVER — Norma Nicoletti will turn 86 years old in January, but when the Fall River resident saw a notice in the newspaper that her doctor would be leading a walk through the Copicut Woods, she was struck by "the urge" to do it.

Nicoletti, who still works as a receptionist, persuaded daughter Cathy Medeiros, 50, to accompany her and the two women set off Saturday morning on what turned out to be a 2-mile hike over rocky, leaf-laden paths and a narrow wooden bridge.

"I'm going to do it," she said, as she confronted the bridge, while her doctor, internist Warren "Chip" Wood, also the president of the SouthCoast Physicians Group, hovered nearby. "Onward."

Nicoletti and Medeiros were part of a group of about 50 people — and a handful of dogs — on Saturday's walk, the fourth in a monthly program the SouthCoast Health System started in September to encourage heart-healthy activities.

"It's to educate patients on things they can do to improve their health," said Wood, the president of SouthCoast Physicians Group, pointing to studies that link frequent walking to cardiovascular health and lower obesity rates.

The monthly walks are part of a national "Walk with a Doc" program.

They will continue through the winter, but will likely move indoors in January and February, SouthCoast Hospitals Group community benefits manager Kerry Mello said.

Nicoletti, a mother of seven, grandmother of 16 and great-grandmother of two, said her life had been too busy to set aside time for walking. She chalked up her good health to a loving family, eating right and "faith in the Lord."

"I need a hug now," she told Wood, whom she knew when he was a boy in Fall River, as she reached the parking lot, having refused several offers to be driven part of the way. "I feel like my legs are going to give out."

"I think I'm going to sign you up for 'Survivor' next, Mom," joked Medeiros, who lives in Dartmouth.